


Beneath the Surface

by ISeeFire



Category: Supernatural, TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bit Dark, Drama & Romance, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Female Bilbo Baggins, Filbo - Freeform, Genderswap, Sam and Dean make a cameo, Supernatural - Freeform, always a girl bilbo, but not TOO dark, supernatural universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:14:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21702031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ISeeFire/pseuds/ISeeFire
Summary: For as long as Bilba has known Fili Durin, he's told her about monsters. How he and his family hunted them, kept people safe from them. Bilba always thought it was cool that he was so creative. She'd thought that, perhaps, one day he'd be a famous writer and she could proudly say she'd known him when.She'd never actually believed he was telling the truth.That there really were monsters.That there really were things hiding under the bed.In the closest.In the shadows.She didn't believe.She should have.
Relationships: Bilbo/Fili, Fem!Bilbo/Fili, Female Bilbo Baggins/Fili
Comments: 165
Kudos: 305
Collections: AmazingLOTR





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Really Belated Writing Wednesday! SO this was a story I started months ago and hadn’t finished. It’s finished now, and is long enough to be about a four chapter long fic SO I’m gonna post a chapter a day til the fic goes away. :D :D
> 
> For those who watch the show Supernatural, Sam and Dean make a cameo but the story is mainly about Bilba and Fili.
> 
> Anyhoo, I hope you all enjoy! Chapter 2 will be up tomorrow!
> 
> Last note for my regular readers: Work has finally let up and I've finished all but one of the projects taking up all my time so I'm going to hunker down and try to bust that last thing out and, once it's done, it's back to regular updates for my other stories! I apologize for how long it's been and thank you so much for your patience. You guys are all amazing and awesome, and I hope you enjoy the shorts and oneshots I've been trying to post in the meantime. :) :)

Bilba met Fili on a rainy January evening when she was six and he was eight. The rain had left her stuck inside, and she'd been slowly going stir crazy. Her foster mother had turned the lights down to put a movie on and, while the other children were engrossed, Bilba took the opportunity to sneak out to go exploring.

She headed straight to the basement. 

None of the kids were allowed down there and she could just imagine the looks of awe she would receive from the others when she regaled them with tales of her adventure.

Tragically, what she found were boxes, and dust. Lots and lots of dust that tickled her nose and sent her into a violent sneezing fit. 

When she'd finally recovered, she’d looked up to see a young boy staring at her suspiciously from the other side of the room.

Fili, as he’d introduced himself, had snuck in to look for monsters. The way he said it, all serious and solemn, nearly made Bilba laugh but she managed to control herself and simply nod back with what, she hoped, was an equal level of gravity.

She could understand where he'd gotten the idea. The home she had been placed in was in an apartment building, five stories with a stone exterior stained dark in places by the passing of years. In wintertime the leaves died off which left the trees spindly and creepy and, at night cheap lightbulbs caused an otherworldly orange light to shine from the windows.

Bilba thought the place had a ghost, and she lived there.

She’d ended up helping Fili look because it sounded like fun (even though he continued to insist it was _very_ serious) and, together, the two hunted through boxes and searched shadowy corners for any evidence of ghosts, ghouls or other assorted monstrosities.

It had been nearly an hour later that her foster mother found them, along with a tall, dark haired intimidating man that turned out to be Fili’s uncle. Fili had been dragged off, while Bilba had been sent to her room for the evening for sneaking away and making everyone worry.

That might well have been the end of it, if it hadn’t been for Fili showing up a few days later to see if she wanted to play. This time he’d been dropped off by a different, just as intimidating, man Fili had introduced as Dwalin. 

Dwalin had left and she and Fili had spent the entire afternoon running about playing. This had been followed by a similar afternoon the next day, as well as the one after that and the one after that. It was nearly five days later, in fact, before Dwalin had arrived to take Fili away again.

Bilba had cried for hours.

Two weeks later and he was suddenly back again, this time with a younger brother named Kili in tow. They'd stayed for only two days this time; and then it was another week before they arrived again.

It became a normal, if irregular, occurrence after that for both of them to be dropped off. Her foster mother explained that she and Fili's uncle were old friends, and she watched his nephews while he was away on business trips.

Fili insisted that his family was off fighting monsters, and they knew her foster mother because they'd once saved her from one.

Bilba didn't really believe him but had to admit his story was more interesting than the one her foster mother told.

As they grew older she grew closer to both of them, but her bond with Fili was always a little bit deeper than it was with Kili. When they were gone, Bilba spent most of her time sitting at her bedroom window waiting for him -- them to come back.

Fili began to visit more often, not always with Kili, and not always times where he had to stay. His family lived in a small, rundown house on the edge of town, and he’d ride an old battered bike in to spend the day with her.

On Bilba’s eight birthday, Fili and his family showed up to take her out for dinner. It was the first time she'd felt like part of a family, just like any other kid out with their parents and siblings to celebrate. The restaurant staff had given her a free cupcake with a cheap, plastic eight that she'd carefully preserved and hidden away for safety.

Later, Bilba got permission to go with Fili and his uncle on outings, sometimes to that rundown house on the edge of town, other times to the movies or the park or mall. Once, they all went to the beach and she got to see the ocean for the very first time.

She got to know them all. Fili of course, and his uncle, and then Kili. There was also Dwalin and a host of other people who came in and out at various times. Many of them were quite serious and had a tendency to brood, but they were always very kind to her.

She never met Fili and Kili's parents. The one time she'd asked, Fili had gotten sad and simply told her they were gone.

Fili's family seemed to get hurt a lot, often sporting bandages or favoring arms or legs, but she was always waved off when she tried to ask what had happened. Fili and Kili never got hurt. He said it was because he wasn’t old enough to hunt monsters yet and, as always, Bilba simply nodded and accepted it. She’d learned long ago not to be a bother. When you were a bother, people didn’t want you. She didn’t ask silly questions or raise her voice and she certainly didn’t go anywhere near the many weapons they told her to stay away from.

In addition to them, Bilba also got to meet Tauriel. She was a friend of Kili's and, when she visited, she spent a lot of time sharpening her own weapons. She was Fili’s age but, as he always complained, _her_ family let her hunt. She rarely ever got hurt. When Bilba asked why, Tauriel said it was because she knew when to duck.

Fili got his first knife when she was eleven and he was thirteen. Soon after, Bilba stopped seeing him as often. Instead of being left behind while his uncle and Dwalin went on their trips (to hunt monsters as Fili always insisted) he went with them. Kili still came to stay sometimes, but it wasn't the same for either of them and he soon stopped.

It was around this time that the doubt first started to creep in.

She supposed it came from watching the other kids around her come and go. Mostly go. There always seemed to be people looking for a little boy or girl to come and complete their family.

No one ever asked to meet her.

She didn’t know why. Maybe she wasn't pretty enough or smart enough or a thousand different things. In the end, all that mattered was she simply wasn't enough. No one wanted her. As time passed, a small voice inside her head began trying to convince her that Fili and his family didn't want her either. 

Sure, they took her out, but they always brought her back. Always turned and drove away. Off on their business trips for days, or even weeks, at a time. Without her.

They never offered to adopt her, never even seemed to consider it. 

Some of the other kids taunted her for it.

Sometimes that voice inside her head taunted her too.

Maybe, it would say, she’d never been anything more than a built-in playmate to keep Fili and his brother busy and out of his uncle's hair.

Maybe they thought she was annoying even though she tried her hardest not to be. Maybe they only tolerated her. Maybe Fili thought she was annoying but was too nice to get rid of her or maybe they thought of her as nothing more than an irritating little girl who couldn’t take a hint.

Maybe they were just waiting for her to go away.

The thoughts got louder as she got older, particularly once her eighteenth birthday started to become less of a far-off concept and more of a rapidly approaching reality. She couldn’t stay in the home once she turned eighteen. She’d have to move out, find a job and place to stay.

She'd be all on her own.

When she was three months from her eighteenth birthday and he was well into his twentieth year, Fili got hurt for the first time. Really hurt. He'd been hurt before, ever since he started going away on those business trips with his uncle, but it had never been more than a few cuts and bruises or, once, a broken arm.

This time he came home unconscious and pale, with blood still staining his neck and soaking through his shirt in a bigger pool than she’d ever seen. His breathing had been shallow, and his pulse been so slow she almost couldn’t feel it.

His entire chest had been wrapped in heavy bandages and she knew he should be in the hospital, hooked up to all manner of machines and tubes, but instead they put him in his bed and set up a crappy old IV pump that they’d stolen at the same time they’d snuck him out of the hospital he should have been in.

It was the first time Bilba had gotten mad at them.

It was the first time she’d yelled.

It was the first time they’d yelled back. 

She’d threatened to call the police, and they’d threatened to take Fili and leave...and never come back.

Bilba would always remember the cutting pain as those words had lanced right through her. She'd reeled back as if they'd physically struck her and, in many ways, they had.

Kili had shouted at his uncle, while Dwalin had ordered them all to shut up and, through it all, Bilba had simply...stood there.

She hadn't moved until their uncle had stalked from the room and slammed the door behind him. Kili had tried to talk to her but Bilba had simply shaken her head. She’d gone and stretched out on the bed next to Fili...and stayed there.

For days.

For weeks.

No one from her foster home came looking for her.

It had taken three days for Kili to convince her to eat, and then only because he’d threatened to have Dwalin drag her from the room if she didn’t. After that, Bilba had made sure to eat, and shower and do what she was supposed to do.

She did it by rote.

She did it in silence because if there was one thing she now knew with utter certainty it was that while she couldn't live without Fili and his family, they could certainly live without her. 

Life could be unfair that way sometimes.

Fili took two and a half weeks to wake up, and it would be weeks more before every moment of that waking wasn’t spent in agony.

Bilba stayed with him the entire time, even later when he was mostly healed, and the rest of the family started their business trips again.

She finally asked Fili what happened.

He told her it was monsters.

Something inside her had snapped. She'd screamed at him and, for the first time since they'd met, Fili had realized she'd never believed him about the monsters.

The fight that followed was the biggest they’d ever had, mostly on her end. All of it suddenly came pouring out. The horrible voice in her head, her anxiety over her eighteenth birthday, the gut churning terror she’d felt as she’d watched over him and begged him not to leave her.

At some point he’d stopped and simply listened to her, eyes wide. Bilba had wanted to stop, had told herself to stop, to just simply shut up, please shut up, for the love of god, just _shut up_.

Don’t be a problem.

Don’t make his life harder.

Don’t get in the way.

He won’t want you anymore.

None of them will.

They'll leave and then where will you be?

Alone.

That's where.

She couldn’t seem to stop, however, and by the end of it her voice was hoarse, and her eyes were swollen and puffy, and she was shaking so hard it was a wonder she didn’t collapse.

She’d run from the house before he could tell her that he hated her. When he'd tried to visit she'd refused to see him, and when her phone had rung with the ringtone she'd set for him she'd turned it off.

Eventually he'd stopped trying, and she’d finally learned the answer to the question she’d always been too afraid to ask.

It had been an illusion.

A myth.

A pleasant dream she’d used to pass the time until she was forced to face reality.

No one wanted her, and no one ever would.


	2. Chapter 2

Bilba sat on the windowsill and stared dully through the dirty panes. It was a brilliant spring day, with a crystal-clear blue sky and a bright sun.

Down below she could see the younger kids running about, playing tag or building forts out of old cardboard boxes. One of the older girls was seated on the tree swing, reading a book, while others from the older set were playing on bikes or skateboards.

Bilba knew dimly that she should be out there with them. Some of the kids had even invited her to go play, and her foster mother had been up three times to encourage her to go outside.

As if any of them actually cared. They hadn’t worried when she’d been gone for weeks, hadn’t batted an eye when she’d returned. Now, suddenly, she was expected to believe they cared whether or not she left her room?

Hardly.

Her legs were beginning to cramp where they were curled under her, but she couldn’t find the energy to shift her position. Her entire body rested against the window, forehead against one of the panes.

It had been a month.

Two weeks since he’d stopped calling or trying to visit.

_“If it bothers you so much maybe you should have answered the damn phone.”_

That was what Essie had said. She was a few months younger than Bilba and had carried a torch for Fili since the day she’d seen him. The fact he only ever wanted to hang out with Bilba made her angry, and she usually took that anger out on Bilba in the form of snide comments and asides. 

It had never mattered before, because Bilba had Fili in the end so who cared what anyone else thought?

Except now she didn’t have him.

She’d probably never had him, just the same as Essie had never had him but she’d at least had the good sense to realize it.

The worn wooden floorboards creaked behind her and Bilba shut her eyes and pretended to be sleeping. Hopefully, whoever had come in would get what they wanted and leave her alone.

“Bilba?”

Damn.

Bilba opened her eyes and lifted her head to see her foster mother's new boyfriend, whose name she couldn't quite remember, standing there. He was middle aged and short with an already receding hairline and wide framed glasses. He was nice enough, but had no experience with children and struggled to relate to them.

Bilba had always felt sorry for him. He was so out of his element and yet tried so hard.

But, then again, he hadn’t looked for her while she’d been gone either, had he?

“What?” she asked tiredly.

He nodded over his shoulder. "Diane wants to see you.”

Bilba grimaced. The last thing she wanted was a lecture or, worse than that, sympathy. She was not at a point where she could handle sympathy, probably never would be. “Can it wait?”

“No,” the man said in a tone he probably hoped was firm. He frowned and then nodded at the old sweatpants and ragged t-shirt she was wearing. “You’ll need to get dressed first.”

Bilba had no idea why she needed to be properly dressed to go speak to her foster mother but couldn’t find the energy to care enough to ask.

“You’ll need to get out then,” she said instead. 

He flushed with embarrassment, and turned toward the door. “Be quick about it, they don’t want to be kept waiting.”

Bilba froze in the act of unwinding her legs. “They? Who are they?”

She was speaking to an empty room, however, as the man -- Tom? Ted? -- whatever, had already left.

Her stomach clenching with sudden nerves, Bilba hobbled to the small chest where she stored her things. Blood began to rush through her legs, and she grimaced in discomfort. She fell to her knees with a heavier thud than she’d intended, and opened the lid of the chest.

Don’t be ridiculous, she chided herself as a wild hope began to bloom. It’s not them. Her heart began to beat faster, defying her, and her hands trembled as she reached inside.

She chose a sundress and sandals that Fili always compliment her on, hating herself for being pathetic even as she stood to undress and pull the dress on.

It wasn’t them, she thought, as she staggered on still half numb legs to close and lock the chest. It wasn’t, especially not after all the things she’d said, and after the way she’d ignored his calls and visits.

He wouldn’t want her after all that.

No one would.

A deep pit opened in her stomach as she pulled her hair into a high ponytail. Her vision wavered, and she took a shaky breath. It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s not them, don’t get your hopes up.

She steeled herself, shoved her feet into her sandals and marched out the door.

She could could hear the faint sound of voices from the living room. Again, her traitorous heart started to race, and her breathing became shallow. She felt hot and cold at the same time and she felt almost sick to her stomach from nerves.

Her lungs nearly frozen in her chest, she reached the end of the hall and turned the corner. 

The first person she spotted was her foster mother, a tall woman with silver streaked dark hair and a strangely blissful expression on her face.

Bilba looked past her...and it wasn’t Fili. Or his uncle, or any other member of his family.

Her throat clogged and she set her jaw against the sudden rush of misery that threatened to overwhelm her.

Of course it wasn’t them.

Life wasn’t a damn fairy tale. There were no happy endings, least of all for her.

There were two young men standing in the center of the living room. She’d never seen either of them before. They looked so much alike they could have been twins. As Bilba looked at them the only thing she could think was...bland. There wasn’t one thing about them that stood out, that suggested individuality, or even personality.

She met the eyes of one, and something deep inside her flinched at the flat, dead expression in his eyes. An almost primordial response ran through her as if her subconscious was reacting to...something.

“Ah, Bilba.” Her foster mother stood and came around the desk with a big smile. “Congratulations, my dear. I know you’ve been waiting for this day a long time.”

Bilba frowned in confusion. “What are you talking about?"

The only big event she could think of in her future was her eighteenth birthday. It was still two and a half weeks away and would hardly be a day of celebration. She’d put things off to the last minute, not wanting to face the truth, and then concern over Fili had pushed it off even further. Now, thanks to all that, she was facing the very real possibility of being jobless, and potentially homeless, when her birthday finally did arrive. 

“Oh, I’m not talking about that, my dear,” her foster mother exclaimed, coming to grab Bilba’s hands. “I’m talking about your adoption of course. I know you’ve been excited, and now the waiting is finally over!”

Bilba was literally struck speechless. For several seconds she ran the words through her mind trying to make some sort of sense out of them.

“What?” she finally asked, dumbly. “What are you talking about? I’m not getting adopted.”

“Of course you are!” This came from one of the men standing in the center of the room. He scurried forward and grabbed Bilba’s hands in a grip that seemed unnaturally strong given his slight stature. His hands were also insanely cold, like two blocks of ice, numbing her skin and sending slivers of ice up her forearms. 

Bilba tried to pull her hands back, but the man tightened his grip. She looked at him and her heart jolted as the way the man's mouth was twisted in an unnatural sneer. 

“What are you doing?” she demanded, a tremor running through her as her adrenaline spiked. “Let me go!”

The other man was suddenly there, grabbing her by the upper arm and sending that same, unnatural smile at her foster mother. “Thank you again for all your help. We’ll be going now.”

With that they began to head toward the door, dragging Bilba along with them.

Panic set in, and Bilba set her heels and tried to pull away from them. Her sandals were slip-ons, and they twisted as she fought to hold her place, causing her to stumble and nearly fall.

The second man scowled in annoyance and forced her upright again. “Now, now, none of that.”

“No.” Bilba twisted around, trying to see her foster mother. Despite apparently not noticing her weeks long absence, the woman had always been kind and tried to do what was best for her kids under her care. "Why are you just watching? Stop them!”

Her foster mother simply continued to smile serenely and waved. “Oh, you’re quite welcome, my dear. It makes the struggle worth it, seeing you kids find homes.”

“What?” Bilba whispered. She kicked her shoes off to try and gain purchase, but the two men lifted her like she weighed nothing and half carried, half dragged her toward the door. “They didn’t adopt me! They’re kidnapping me!”

Her dress tangled about her legs as she struggled and her feet stung as they caught on splinters from the rough, wooden floorboards. The grip on her arms was brutally tight and she could already feel deep bruises forming.

She whimpered in fear as she was dragged upright again. The second man shook his head at her. “I said, none of that.”

Bilba barely had a chance to process his hand drawing back, before pain exploded through her face and the side of her jaw. Blackness washed over her and she sagged in their grip.

Dimly, she felt one of them take her legs while the other put his arms under her armpits and, together, they lifted her. Her head sagged back and then she was being carried out.

They took her right down the stairs and out the front door. Bilba could hear the laughter and yelling as her foster siblings played. She tried sluggishly to call for help, but all she heard back for her efforts were variations of “Congratulations, Steph!” and “Bye Steph!”

It was like the entire world had gone mad. No one could see what was happening. No one even cared.

Fili's voice suddenly ran through her head, with his constant talk of monsters and things that lurked in the shadows.

He’d been telling her the truth, she realized with sudden, horrific clarity.

All those years.

All those things he’d said.

It had all been real.

Her feet were set on the ground. She felt the hardness of concrete under her soles, and the fine grit of dirt and debris pressing into the skin. An arm slid around her waist, and her arm was dragged over someone’s neck.

“Why are you doing this?” The haze was beginning to clear, leaving her with a dull ache in her jaw, but she continued to sag and behave as if she were still stunned.

“Because you won’t be missed,” one of the men said from beside her. “Just relax, dear. It’ll all be over soon.”

Bilba tensed. She didn’t want it to all be over, soon or at all. She wanted...

She wanted...

She wanted Fili.

God, but she wanted him. He’d telling the _truth_. All those years, and she’d never once believed him, never even considered it. Not even with all the proof, the strange trips, the injuries, the crucifix he always insisted she wear or his insistence on always placing salt along her windowsill and the bottom of her door.

Ahead of her, she saw a small, non-descript sedan idling at the curb with its trunk wide open. She bit back a whimper and felt herself begin to shake uncontrollably.

“No,” she whispered. “No, I don’t want to go in there. I don’t want to go in there.”

“Well,” the second man said from over her head. “I suppose no one cares what you want, do they?”

That wasn’t true.

Fili had cared, hadn’t he?

When they’d gone out it had always been to where she wanted to go, to movies she wanted to see. Even when they’d gone to the beach all those years ago, it had only been after she’d told him how badly she wanted to see the ocean.

Her vision blurred and she sucked in a sob as tears began to run down her face.

God, why was she only realizing this _now_?

Who stuck with someone they didn’t like for over a decade? Especially when they didn’t have to? All he had to do was stop coming. Not give her a phone. Never take her out of the home for trips.

Not try to visit or call her after their fight.

Bilba burst into tears and it was only partly from the fear. Why was it all becoming so crystal-clear _now_? Now, when it was all far, far too late?

She was never going to see Fili again. Never going to get the chance to apologize or tell him how much she loved him.

He’d go his entire life thinking she hated him, and that was the absolute last thing she felt. 

The two pulled her off the curb and onto the street. The asphalt was scorching on her feet. The burst of pain was like a bolt of lightning through her body and she gasped and tried futilely to pull her feet away.

Her head jerked up as she struggled, and she found herself looking directly at Fili.

Fili who was rounding the corner at the end of the block, Kili in tow beside him. He was wearing a leather jacket she was sure he’d inherited from his uncle; his blond hair was mussed and unruly...and he was the single most beautiful sight she’d ever seen.

“Fili!” The scream was ripped from someplace deep inside her, tearing through her throat.

Fili’s head snapped up from whatever he’d been saying to Kili and for a single, horrible, moment, Bilba was terrified he’d be under the same delusion that everyone else was. That he’d looked her right in the eye and simply wave as she was forced in a trunk and taken away.

Then she saw his expression change into one of horror, heard him shout, and relief rushed through her.

The man holding her cursed. “I thought you said she had no one?”

“She doesn’t,” the other man insisted. “I checked!”

Their grip loosened, for just a split second, and Bilba didn’t hesitate. She twisted and kneed the man in the groin as hard as she could. At the same time, she grabbed the second man by the hair, wrenched him down, and slammed his head into the back bumper.

She took off, running toward Fili. He’d started running toward her, Kili just behind him.

Arms wrapped around her waist, and she screamed again. “Fili!” The arms lifted her up and she pushed at the grip and kicked, desperately trying to free herself. “Fili! Help me!”

She was thrown to the side, and then she was in the backseat of the car. She lunged toward the door, only to have hands grab her from behind and wrench her back again.

The door slammed shut. A moment later the second man slid into the driver’s seat. Bilba heard the rumble of the engine start up, and her stomach wrenched as the car pulled away from the curb.

She tried to lunge forward, toward the door, but the grip around her was like granite. The other man put a hand over her mouth, clamping off her air.

Bilba arched backward, trying to free herself, but to no avail. She scrabbled, clawing at the hands with her nails and trying to reach behind her to find something, anything to cause damage, but she might as well have been held by a statue.

Pressure built in her lungs, and her heart was pounding so hard she thought it might burst right out of her chest. Her brain screamed at her to breathe and she wanted to, god she wanted to so much, but the hands wouldn’t move.

Dots swam in her vision and blackness started to eat in at the edges. Her movements grew weaker and more lethargic, until fighting itself became too much effort and her arms fell limp to her side.

Her last conscious thought was she really wished she’d taken Fili’s call.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is gonna end up five chapters because even when I have a work finished I can apparently still end up going through it and going, you know, that should be a chapter break. I'm going to post this one and then post another later tonight though so it'll still end on time tomorrow with the final chapter. SO you just get two chapters in one day instead of one! :D

She became aware of the cold first.

It lay on her like a thick blanket, pushing through to her marrow until her bones felt frozen inside her. 

For a few seconds, she was convinced she was dead, a cold corpse upon a slab in some forgotten corner of a hospital morgue.

Then the dull ache and swelling on her face set in along with the burning pain on the soles of her feet and she realized she was still very much alive.

She hadn’t expected that.

There was metal under her fingertips, rough and unfinished, and the air had a strange, musty quality to it. Bilba couldn’t hear anything so she forced herself to take a deep breath to calm her nerves and opened her eyes.

She was in a cage.

A metal ceiling hung low several feet over her head and she could see part of one corner where thick, iron bars ran down toward the base. Given the situation before she’d passed out it wasn’t a surprise, but it was still unnerving.

Her throat was so dry it burned, and she struggled to find enough saliva to swallow. Just how long had she been unconscious? Her stomach was trying to gnaw on her spinal column, and it felt like she’d had nothing to drink in days.

Carefully, she spread her palms flat on the ground and started to push up. A gasp of pain escaped her as bruised muscles protested. There seemed to be more than before, including what felt like long, thin scrapes and gashes along her bare legs.

They’d dragged her in here, she realized, with zero regard for her physical safety. It didn’t bode well for what they planned to do with her.

She managed to struggle to a seated position, only to freeze with a gasp at the sight of two men sprawled out unconscious on the other side of the cage.

Gingerly, Bilba scooted back the last few inches until she was pressed fully against the bars. It wasn’t very big, even back as far as possible left her only a foot or two of space and she doubted the taller of the two men (who appeared very tall indeed) would be able to even sit up straight.

Neither appeared close to waking up so she risked taking in her surroundings through the bars. It wasn’t very exciting, simply a large basement with all manner of industrial looking equipment. Most of it was covered in filth and some appeared to no longer be in working order.

The floor it all sat on was concrete and equally dirty with what looked like years’ worth of dust, cobwebs and debris scattered about.

A low moan dragged her attention back to her two unwanted companions, and she tried to press back even further into the bars. She drew her legs up, balancing her feet on their heels; tugged her skirt down as far as possible and wrapped her arms around her knees.

The shorter man woke up first. Bilba wished he was actually short, and maybe a little less threatening, but the adjective only referred to his height in comparison to the giant next to him.

He was older than her, probably in his mid 20s, with short brown hair and a rugged looking face. He wore a button-down shirt over a black t-shirt, and a denim jacket over that.

He swore under his breath, one hand going to his head, before he started to push up to his feet. He caught sight of the other man and paused to check his pulse. Then, almost as if some weird alarm went off for him, his head suddenly snapped up and his eyes laser focused on her.

Bilba gasped and drew in tighter as if she could somehow magically make herself invisible through sheer force of will.

The man studied her for a second, and then slowly raised both hands, palms outward, “Hey there,” he said, his voice low and quiet. “My name’s Dean. What’s yours?”

Bilba hesitated but then decided it really didn’t matter if he knew her name or not. “Bilba.”

He gave a nod. “Please to meet you, Bilba.” He slapped the other man on the arm and grinned. “This here’s my brother, Sammy.”

Bilba’s lips twitched at the obvious affection in Dean’s voice. “Pleased to meet you.”

The other man, Sammy, chose that moment to groan and Dean shifted to help him sit up. That revealed the man truly was as tall as she’d thought, with saggy brown hair. He dressed similarly to his brother, if not a bit preppier, and appeared to be a few years younger.

Dean said something to him as he sat up and Sammy gave her a concerned look. “Hey.”

“Hi,” Bilba whispered. Her throat felt like she’d gargled with razor blades. She tried to clear it, only to immediately regret the action as it simply made it worse.

“Here.” Dean tossed her something and she flinched, only to relax as Sam caught it midair with an exasperated look toward his brother. Dean shrugged and went back to examining the bars.

Sam handed her the item and Bilba saw that it was a throat lozenge. “Thanks.”

“Can’t vouch for its age,” Dean said absently, without looking at her. “Been in there since the last time Sammy got sick.”

Sam sent him another look. Dean didn’t take his eyes off the bars but grinned as if he could see it.

“Better than nothing.” Bilba unwrapped the lozenge and popped it in her mouth before adding, “my…friend, Fili, saw me get kidnapped. He might have gotten the license plate.”

“Won’t help,” Dean said. “Car was most likely stolen.” His eyebrows drew together suddenly, and he half turned toward her. “Fili Durin?”

Bilba’s heart jumped and she nodded.

Dean frowned, and then snapped his fingers and pointed at her. “Bilba. You’re that Bilba.”

“That Bilba?” Bilba repeated blankly.

“Man,” Dean shook his head, “you messed that kid up.”

“Dean!” Sam’s voice was sharp, but Dean simply rolled his eyes.

“You saw him. Kid’s been moping for weeks.”

“Was he?” Bilba was a little ashamed of the hopeful note in her voice. It wasn’t that she wanted Fili to be upset, per se. It was just the thought that someone, somewhere out there had been upset over her, and that she hadn’t been the only one miserable… “I thought perhaps he wouldn’t care.”

She hadn’t meant to say that out loud, and immediately felt her face flush with heat as embarrassment crept over her.

Sam and Dean had both gone still and were looking at her with unreadable expressions.

“Trust me,” Dean finally said, breaking the silence. “He cares.”

Sound came from overhead, and Bilba flinched again, drawing into herself. “What were those things?” she whispered.

Sam sighed. “You probably don’t want to know.” He smiled at her. “Don’t worry, all right? We’ll get you out of this.”

“If Fili doesn’t get here first.” Dean smirked. “That kid’s gotta be pissed right now.”

Sound again from overhead, and now the tortured screech of rusted hinges echoed through the small room as a door was wrenched open. Bilba clenched her teeth but couldn’t stop the whimper that escaped.

As if on signal, Dean and Sam moved back to their original positions. Dean tugged lightly on the hem of her dress and Bilba scooted over to the far corner of the cage, behind them.

“All right,” Dean said in a low voice as he and Sam sprawled back on the floor. “Try to make them come in after you.”

Bilba wanted to ask how they were so sure the person coming in would want her, but then immediately decided she was probably better off not knowing that.

Sam and Dean closed their eyes and went limp. Bilba curled up in the corner of the cage, drawing her legs up and wrapping her arms around them.

One of the men she remembered from the house sauntered around the corner and Bilba stiffened and drew in closer, pressing against the bars until they dug into her back.

The man punched a code into a keypad set in the door of the cage and, with a beep, it clicked, and the door popped open. “Let’s go.”

Bilba shook her head but couldn’t find her voice to say it.

The man scowled and slammed his hand against the bars, causing Bilba to gasp and jump. “You won’t like it if I have to come in there, little girl. Now, come here.”

Bilba doubted she could have gotten up even if she wanted too. She was shaking violently, and her legs had turned to jelly. Dean was closest to her and she curled her toes under his shoulder. They said they’d help her, she reminded herself frantically. They weren’t asleep. They were just pretending. It’d be okay.

She hoped.

The…man…or the thing pretending to be a man had been insanely strong and had the ability to trick others into seeing things that weren’t real. Did Sam and Dean know how to deal with him…it?

The man swore and crouched down. “Obnoxious bitch,” he growled as he crawled into the cage. “I’m really not the sort you want to be pissing off right now.”

The cage was so low he was forced to crouch. He did, and then went to his hands and knees. Bilba wasn’t sure why until, without warning, he suddenly scuttled forward with unnatural, startling speed. He scrambled over Sam and Dean’s bodies and reached out to grab her.

Bilba shrieked and tried to press back, but there was nowhere to go. She shut her eyes and tensed, waiting to feel his hand wrap around her arm and yank her forward.

Nothing happened.

Instead she heard a strangled intake of breath, similar to the sound someone might make if they’d been punched in the stomach.

Tentatively, Bilba opened her eyes. The man was still there, just in front of her, but his eyes were wide, expression frozen and he seemed paler than before. She looked past him, and saw that Dean was up on one elbow. His other hand held the handle of what looked like some sort of blade. She couldn’t tell for sure, because it was currently buried to the hilt in the man’s stomach.

“Correction,” he growled. “I’m not the one you want to be pissing off.”

He shoved the man off into another corner of the cage and pulled the knife out. He cleaned it off on his pant leg with a scowl and then slid it down inside his boot.

Sam had already sat up and was checking the man where he lay crumpled in the corner. “Looks like silver works.”

“Usually does.” Dean sounded overly cheerful considering the situation. He got up into a low crouch and held a hand out to her. “Come on, what do you say we get out of here?”

Bilba nodded shakily and took his hand, allowing him to help her out of the cage. “You just stabbed him.” Her voice wavered. She’d never seen a dead body before, let alone someone killed in front of her.

“Trust us,” Sam spoke up from behind her. “He was planning to do a lot worse.”

“And he was going to die pretty soon anyway,” Dean added. “Just as soon as his girlfriend got a snack.”

“His girlfriend?” Bilba repeated blankly. “What was she going to eat?”

Sam shot Dean an annoyed look, and he raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes in an exaggerated inquiry.

Bilba’s own eyes suddenly widened as the answer hit her. “Oh,” she whispered. “That’s why it mattered that I had no one, so no one would miss me.”

Sam grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “They secrete a pheromone that lets them interfere with memory. They go after people without connections to ensure there’s no lingering sensation of someone being gone. They just failed to realize that most people have at least some connection.”

“Which means people noticed,” Dean interjected, still strangely cheerful, “and we showed up, met up with the Durins and are handling the problem.”

“By getting captured?” Bilba forced a small smile, trying for a bit of levity now that her nerves were beginning to settle just a bit.

Dean chuckled and shot her a cocky grin. “Worked out didn’t it? We were here to keep you from being monster chow.”

“Dean.” Sam sounded exasperated but Bilba surprised herself by laughing, just a little. That laugh vanished as soon as they grabbed her hands just outside the cage door and pulled her to her feet. White hot pain blistered through her feet and she bit back a strangled cry as her knees automatically buckled, trying to take the pressure off. A wave of dizziness swept over her and, when it cleared, she was sitting back on the ground, breathing rapidly, with Sam and Dean both crouched near her feet.

“Don’t–” Bilba started, panic settling in and strangling her voice. Don’t leave me. That’s what she wanted to say, but her mind was stuck on one setting and the only word she could force out was “Don’t,” over and over again.

Sam moved back to her side, slid an arm around her back and another under her legs and stood with her. “It’s all right. We said we’d get you out, and we will.”

Bilba was still too upset to speak but managed to nod shakily.

“I wouldn’t want to be you if Fili sees you carrying her.” Dean quipped as he led the way toward the stairs.

They made it to the top where Dean pressed against the door and tried to hear if anything was on the other side. “I hate bugs,” he grumbled.

“They aren’t bugs,” Sam interjected. “And you’re just sore they took your weapons.”

“Shut up, Sammy,” Dean said without heat. He pulled his boot knife back out and waved it. “And that’s most of my weapons. You’re just jealous they found all of yours.”

Sam had carefully set Bilba on her feet against the wall, grimacing in apology as he did. When he turned back to his brother he’d somehow produced a massive hunting knife that he held up in a few fingers and waggled at Dean. “You were saying?”

Dean scoffed and went back to the door. “Whatever.” He slid the door open, risked a look out, and almost immediately jerked back inside and shut the door. “Well, that’s going to be fun.”

“What is it?” Bilba asked, and then, before he could answer, amended, “never mind. I don’t want to know.”

“You really don’t,” Dean agreed. He nodded at Sam and went and took up position just behind Dean’s right shoulder.

“You’ll be safe here,” he told her over his shoulder. “We’ll clear out the corridor and then come back, okay?”

Bilba nodded, not because it was okay but because she really didn’t have all that much choice. She wouldn’t be able to walk well, or run at all, and there was no way Sam could carry her and fight at the same time.

Dean held up three fingers, then slowly curled one down, and then a second. When he curled the third down, Bilba’s stomach clenched and she bit down hard on her lower lip as, together, the two opened the door. For the briefest second, she heard what sounded like a strange scuttling, skittering sound. Then the door slammed shut and she heard nothing.

She pressed against the wall, trying to brace her weight against it so she could balance on her heels and not touch her blistered feet to the ground. With death no longer imminent her adrenaline began to fade, and her body’s complaints started to make themselves known.

For one thing, she was freezing. She’d been vaguely aware of it being cold but now the temperature was downright biting and the thin dress she’d worn did absolutely nothing for it. She’d lost her shoes and the floor beneath her feet was like ice, which numbed the pain a little but not enough.

After that she could feel the myriad cuts and bruises she’d picked up along with the burning in her throat. She was hungry, and thirsty on top of all of that and fatigue hung on her like a blanket, trying to convince her that lying down for a nap was a perfectly fine idea.

Looking back later, it was probably for that last reason that she utterly failed to hear footsteps creeping up the stairs from down below.

Rough hands grabbed her and, before she could react, a hand was clamped over her mouth, forcing her jaw closed against the scream trying to escape it.

“Your friend missed my poison sack by an inch,” a, by now, familiar voice hissed in her ear. “A pity for you.”

And, with that, he put his other arm around her waist, tightened his grip and dragged her through the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Bilba struggled to stay upright as she was dragged through the door. The corridor outside was narrow and low, lit only by small, guttering lights that did little to dispel the thick gloom.

The sounds of fighting came from her left, just around a corner and beyond her sight. Bilba tried to go that direction, hoping to draw Sam and Dean's attention, but the creature wrenched her to the right. Fire rippled through her feet as they scraped against the floor and she half collapsed, forcing the thing to partially carry her.

She tried desperately to break its hold, using techniques Fili and his family had shown her over the years, but nothing seemed to work.

The thing slid an arm around her waist and lifted her clear off the floor, twisting her around to face a thick, metal door set in the far end of the corridor. It pretty much screamed "murder door" and a jolt of pure adrenaline laced with fear ran through her.

This was it. If she went through that door, she wasn't coming back out.

Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she couldn't seem to catch her breath. Her body was shaking violently. Desperate, she reached behind her, found his face and, with all the strength she could muster, drove her thumbs into his eyes.

She didn't really expect it to work, nothing else had, but at least she'd know she'd done _something_.

The creature swore viciously and jerked back. His grip on her loosened and his hand slipped, falling away from her mouth.

Bilba screamed, the sound hoarse and choked, but still loud enough to carry, especially in the tight corridor. She struggled forward, trying to shove off his grip. If she could only reach Sam and Dean...

For a second she thought it might actually work. Then the thing recovered, far faster than any human would, and snatched her back.

"You little bitch!" He shoved her, face first into the wall. A hand grabbed at her hair, yanked her head back and then, before she could gather herself enough to react, slammed her head forward against the wall.

Pain bloomed through her skull. A wave of black washed over her and her body sagged against the wall. She was aware of being pulled back, and then being lifted over a bony shoulder. The rush of blood to her head was too much and she sagged, barely conscious.

Tortured metal screeched and then she was being dropped, unceremoniously, on the ground. Under her fingers she could feel uneven stone, bits of grit and debris getting catching up under her nails.

The door shrieked again, and another shot of adrenaline cut through some of the pain and fog in her mind.

"No," she mumbled. She planted her palms flat on the ground and pushed. She managed to get up a few inches but then dizziness drove her back down again.

The door slammed shut, and then the only sound was that of her own breathing.

Bilba struggled to bring her vision into focus. It was dark overhead, but she could make out what looked like uneven, sloped rock. Turning her head to the side revealed the same thing, rock. There were darker spots that might have been tunnels, but her vision was still refusing to focus to they looked like little more than extra dark blotches.

Aside from that the only thing she noticed was the dampness in the air and the faint sound of water dripping somewhere far off in the distance. 

A cave, her mind informed her dully.

She was in some sort of cave

Her stomach chose that moment to rebel, violently, and she just managed to roll onto her side in time to lose the contents of her stomach. Thankfully, it wasn't much, but it was still unpleasant.

She struggled to slow her breathing, grimacing at the acidic bite of bile left in her mouth.

Her head pounded in time with her heartbeat and she groaned through clenched teeth. She focused on breathing through her nose and struggled to roll onto her stomach and push to her hands and knees.

She needed to get out.

Somehow. She needed...

Something skittered nearby.

Bilba froze.

She held still, holding her breath as best she could.

She wasn't stupid.

She wasn't going to be like the people in horror movies who always called out "hello?" in situations they should keep quiet in.

The skittering came again, louder, and closer.

Whatever it was, it was big, and she really, really, _really_ didn't want to meet it.

Dean's words about the creatures' plan to feed her to something ran through her mind and she bit back a whimper. Her muscles were so tight it was a wonder they didn't snap her bones, and she couldn't seem to stop shaking.

She struggled to her feet. Her body felt heavy and her knees kept trying to buckle beneath her. Dizziness washed through her in waves and her stomach was threatening to, any minute, try its best to expel everything she'd eaten the last month.

There was light, she noted hazily, dim but there. If she could find out where it was coming from...

Her thoughts trailed off as something scraped over rock from what sounded like only a few feet away.

Her heart, rather than speed up, actually slowed and began to pound so loud and hard she imagined she could audibly hear it. She hunched her shoulders and tried to draw into herself, clasping her hands together in silent prayer until her knuckles were white.

"Please, Fili," she whispered under her breath. "Please come get me."

She turned, slowly, her breath coming out in slow, choked gasps.

There was something in one of the tunnels.

It moved, closer, lurching out until her mind was finally able to identify it.

_Spider._

But not just any spider. It was enormous, several times larger than the horses Fili had taken her to ride when she was fourteen. Each of its legs was as thicker than her body, and the curved fangs jutting from its jaws were as wide as her forearms.

Bilba let out a sound born of pure terror and staggered back. "Fili.

The word was a plea more than anything else, and not one she particularly believed would be answered but she said it just the same.

The spider scuttled closer and pushed up on its feet. The action revealed a monstrous stinger on its back end, a bead of poison the size of her head poised on the tip.

Bilba whimpered. She wanted to back away, knew logically that she should, but her body was frozen in place. She physically _couldn't_ move, no matter how badly she wanted to.

In horror movies, monsters always took their time with their prey. Chased them around, gave them a chance to fight back or provided the hero a chance to arrive just in the nick of time.

Bilba wasn't in a movie, however, and the beast before her had no desire to play.

It lunged forward, faster than Bilba could have thought possible. Something punched her in the shoulder, hard enough to rock her back a step. She looked down and saw the thing's stinger buried in her shoulder.

Oh.

It didn't hurt.

That was probably a bad sign.

The creature wrenched the stinger out and Bilba swayed in place. She felt...better strangely enough. Her heart slowed from the manic pace it had been keeping, and her breathing evened out. A strange, almost dreamlike quality seemed to fall over her and when she fell to her knees it was as if it happened in slow motion.

She never even felt her knees strike the stone.

The spider loomed up in front of her, fangs clicking in front of her face. She should probably be scared, Bilba thought, but she couldn't seem to find the energy. Blackness ate at the corners of her vision, marching leisurely inwards.

A loud blast sounded from behind her.

Bilba frowned. She looked over her shoulder, almost losing her balance in the process, and saw the door fly open, the metal twisted and dented in a way that would never again fit properly into any frame.

Fili stepped through the door; rifle cradled in his arms. Kili was behind him with...was that a crossbow?

Huh.

Something told her she should be happy to see them, _was_ happy to see them. Right?

She turned her head back, just in time to see the spider rocked back with a screech of pain. The sound of a rifle blast reached her a second later, followed by another, and still another after that. Black ichor splashed her body, and face, and it burned...it did...but her mind couldn't seem to conjure a reaction.

Arms grabbed her and Bilba sagged into them. Her head fell back, and Fili was there, looking down at her. He was talking to her, but his voice was muffled, and too far away for her to make out.

He looked upset.

Finding the strength from somewhere, Bilba struggled through the darkness and fog and managed to reach a hand up to touch his face. She trailed her fingers lightly his jaw and cheek and back up into his hair. "I love you," she managed to whisper. "I'm sorry."

Sorry she hadn't taken his call. Sorry she hadn't believed him.

"It's okay," she thought she heard him say. "It's going to be okay."

Then he wrapped his arms around her and stood, lifting her with ease. Bilba spotted Kili again, now with Tauriel alongside him. Past them she caught sight of Dwalin and the boy's uncle and a few of the other family members. She spotted Sam and Dean too and felt a rush of relief that they were safe.

Then the darkness finished its inexorable march and, for the second time in a day, she had no choice but to let it sweep her away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay - I was out of town yesterday and ended up stuck in traffic for hours longer than expected. By the time I got home I was wiped out and just went to bed so I could try to get some sleep before having to go to work the next day (today!). :)
> 
> Also, this story is complete, but I also set it up to be a prelude to a full story/universe in the future if I want. We shall see! I do have another idea for a different Supernatural story where Bilba is the hunter and the Durins are civilians ( I actually have two story ideas in that verse so far) hopefully, I’ll get a chance to write that one soon! :D

Bilba sat in the middle of her hospital bed and tried to convince her stomach to settle down. She was dressed in a loose pair of sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt, hair pulled back in a low braid to keep it out of her face. 

In her lap she clutched a small bag of belongings in a tight grip. Her stomach was tied in knots and she tried to focus on breathing in a futile attempt to try and calm herself down. 

“He’ll be back soon.” Tauriel was a few feet away, standing at the window overlooking the very exciting view of the hospital’s parking garage. Kili sat in a chair nearby, idly tossing a small stone into the air and catching it with his other hand. There was some sort of carving on it but Bilba hadn’t yet gotten around to asking him what it was. 

“I know,” she said in a voice she wished wasn’t quite so shaky. “I’m just being ridiculous.” She forced a small smile. “Even if something _did_ happen, you guys would be here.”

“Yeah, but we’re not your security blanket, are we?” Tauriel asked with a smile. 

“He’s not a blanket,” Bilba defended, her face heating. She did _not_ think of him as a blanket. 

“No,” Kili agreed, tossing the stone up and catching it again, “but he certainly wouldn’t complain.”

Bilba’s face went supernova. Tauriel sighed in exasperation and smacked Kili on the shoulder. The two fell to good-natured bickering and Bilba went back to trying to calm herself down. 

A lot had changed over the last few weeks. 

She hadn’t been awake for most of it. 

The venom the…giant spider had injected her with had left her in a deep sleep for days. She didn’t have to ask why, or what she’d have awakened to if no one had arrived to save her. 

Assuming she had awakened at all and not just ended up a spider Slurpee. 

They’d taken her to the hospital. Not the one they’d kidnapped Fili out of for reasons they still refused to explain. All she knew about that one was that it was in some other town and they would not be returning there. Ever. 

While she’d been asleep the Durins had apparently told the police a story about saving her from a mugging just outside the apartment building. It had been corroborated by her confused foster mother who still remembered the event as Bilba being adopted, but had also been having nightmares that had reflected the truth. 

The door to her room opened and Fili walked in, pushing a wheelchair in front of him. “Who’s ready to get out of here?”

Bilba struggled to smile. He’d been with her every second of her stay in the hospital, even sneaking back in after visiting hours had ended to keep her company at night. He’d been caught a time or two, but the nurses had been kind enough to look the other way, especially after seeing the death grip she usually had on his hand as long as the sun was down. 

It was irrational. Everything had happened under the light of the sun, and it had left her with a deep and abiding terror of the dark. 

The fact her feet were still healing and she was supposed to stay off them didn’t help. All it meant was, if she needed to run she couldn’t. Sam and Dean had visited on their way out of town and presented her with an enormous knife, which helped a little. 

Fili slid an arm around her waist, another under her legs and easily lifted her off the bed. During the time she’d been in the hospital the two had spent quite a bit of time talking, and had come to the conclusion that they were both idiots. 

She’d also found out why Fili had briefly stopped coming by for a few weeks. After he and Kili had lost their parents, their uncle had taken them in. They’d moved to that house on the outskirts of town, leaving their family home and its painful memories behind. 

The fact they’d left it behind, didn’t mean they hadn’t still owned it. 

Fili had spent weeks fixing it up, with the intention of the family moving back in. All of them, including her. 

On the day she’d been kidnapped, he’d been hoping to take her to see it. He’d wanted her to know she had a family with them, and him. 

He’d wanted her to know she wasn’t alone. 

Fili grinned at her and pressed his forehead against hers. “Ready to go home?”

Bilba linked her arms around his neck to pull herself up and kiss him. That was something else that had changed between the two of them though, in hindsight, they’d both agreed it was probably less something that had changed and more something they’d both failed to see right away. 

Truly idiots, the both of them. 

She broke off and pressed her forehead back to his again. She was still healing, still terrified of the dark and still facing the reality of living with the knowledge of what was out there. It was terrifying, and yet if asked, Bilba would still say her future looked bright. 

Because she wasn’t facing any of it alone, and really never had been. 

“I’m ready,” she said softly, and with a genuine smile. “Let’s go home.”


End file.
